Ever since you can remember, you've lived in a little cottage with Grandmother in the fog-shrouded Woods. Every day, the two of you lay out sandbags, check the spikes, and sharpen weapons.
"Why do we do this?" you asked Grandmother one day, when you were a child.
"There is a Wolf who lives out in the fog," Grandmother answered. "If it finds you, it will eat you. This is all that protects us."
"What does the Wolf look like?"
Grandmother smiled a bitter smile. "No one knows."
So the years pass. Soon you are eighteen, and still you've seen no sign of this Wolf. You begin to doubt Grandmother: after all, if you've never seen the Wolf, how can it exist?
One day, you rise to begin your work, and find that Grandmother is still asleep. Her hand is limp and cold, and you realize that she will never wake up again. You bury her next to the stakes that mark Mother and Father's graves. Tears fall from your eyes and dot the earth as you dig. Then, in the distance, you see movement.
You stop, eyes wide. You've never seen movement in the woods before, and fear clutches your throat. "Who's there?" you call.
You hear a light giggle, and from behind a tree steps out a girl. You hold your breath: she is beautiful. She has dark, tangled hair and bright gold eyes. Under her red cloak, her figure seems slender and graceful. She smiles at you, and your heart flutters.
"I'm sorry if I frightened you. My name is Valerie," she says, dropping in a curtsy. "What is yours?"
"I'm…${character.name}," you stutter, unused to any company.
Valerie's eyes dip down to your spade, and for a moment it seems almost that her smile became a smirk. But quick as a flash it's gone, and she's fixing you once more with her bright, earnest gaze. "Nice to meet you, ${character.name}. What are you doing?"
"My Grandmother…" you begin, and to your embarrassment, tears spring to your eyes. "She passed away this morning."
Valerie's eyes widen in concern. "Oh no! I'm